The Melbourne Storm secured a commanding 36-14 victory over the North Queensland Cowboys at AAMI Park on Friday night, with Jahrome Hughes delivering an exceptional performance. The reigning Dally M Medallist scored two tries in the first half, provided two assists, and made nine tackle breaks, highlighting his pivotal role in the match.
The Storm began strongly, but their discipline faltered as errors began to creep into their game, particularly towards the end of the first half. Despite this, the Cowboys failed to capitalise on the Storm’s mistakes, resulting in missed opportunities that proved detrimental.
One notable moment occurred early on when Cowboys centre Viliami Vailea was penalised for a dangerous tackle on Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona. Asofa-Solomona’s heated reaction, where he threw the ball at Vailea, drew commentary from Michael Ennis, who remarked on the intensity of the incident.
The scoring was kicked off by Storm second-rower Eliesa Katoa, who broke through the Cowboys’ defence in the fourth minute after receiving a short pass from Hughes. Hughes then extended the Storm’s lead with a try of his own, assisted by Harry Grant.
The Cowboys managed to respond in the 20th minute when winger Jaxson Paulo scored following a well-placed cut-out pass from Tom Dearden. However, the Storm’s defence held firm as the Cowboys pressured the try line, failing to convert their chances into points. Just before half-time, Hughes added his second try, giving Melbourne a 16-4 advantage at the interval.
In the second half, Storm fullback Nick Meaney quickly added to the score, while Hughes narrowly missed a hat-trick thanks to a try-saving tackle from Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater. The Cowboys fought back momentarily with two tries in quick succession, thanks to efforts from Drinkwater and Robert Derby.
Despite the brief resurgence from the Cowboys, the Storm regained control with Asofa-Solomona’s powerful try before Tyran Wishart capped off the scoring, sealing the match at 36-14. Meanwhile, Dearden’s performance was noteworthy as he aimed to secure the Maroons’ No. 7 jersey, going head-to-head with veteran Daly Cherry-Evans for the selection in the upcoming Origin II.